SEMA is to gearheads like Christmas is to a 6-year-old. For those lucky guys and gals who get to make the yearly pilgrimage to Las Vegas, it's the high point of the year. The only downside is that there is so much crap to sort through, it's easy to miss the really good stuff. Fortunately, we had our radar tuned in to the kind of gear hot rodders and g-Machiners want. We skipped the bling and scooped up the trick parts, making sure GM, Ford, and Mopar owners were well represented. Here's a baker's dozen of the coolest things we discovered.

2/16

Red Devil Titanium Brakeswww.reddevilbrakes.com800-200-7172

We first discovered these on Bob Johnson's outrageous '71 'Cuda, which was displayed in the Popular Hot Rodding booth. Although adapted for the Mopar, they come in kit form for Corvette, Viper, CTS-V, Impala SS, and Mercury Marauder. On a C5 Corvette, the unsprung weight reduction is 33 pounds on the front axle alone and stopping distance from 60 mph is reduced to a mere 90 feet. The ceramic-impregnated titanium rotors weigh next to nothing--we thought they were paper mache mock-ups at first. The complete kits aren't cheap though; to outfit the front and rear axle, the price for calipers (6-piston and 4-piston, respectively) and rotors runs between $7,600 and $11,000. If it's any consolation, life expectancy on the rotors is well over 100,000 miles.

3/16

B&M Composite X Black Diamond Shifterwww.bmracing.com818-882-6422

Face it, chrome and polished billet are out, and carbon fiber and brushed aluminum are in. The new Black Diamond shifter from B&M addresses this look and brings your g-Machine into the 21st century. The Black Diamond ratchet-type shifter is made of real carbon fiber, holds two standard 2 1/16-inch gauges and a momentary contact switch (for line-lock or nitrous), and works with most common automatic transmissions (GM TH-400, 350, 250, 200, 700R4, 200-4R, Ford C4, C6, AOD, Mopar TF-727 & 904). Get a great look with no missed shifts in a package that costs around $410.

If you thought the new 427-cube LS7 was the big dog on the block, think again. ERL Performance now offers 500 cubic-inch short blocks in crate form or as kits. ERL starts with an LS2 block and fits it with "Superdeck" deck plates to arrive at a 10.2-inch deck height. The Superdeck system employs integrated bore sleeves for long rods and plenty of stroke--up to 4.5 inches. These short-blocks are built to order, so a multitude of combos are possible; rod size (Carillo) ranges from 6.600- to 6.800-inch, bore (Wiseco pistons) ranges from 4.155- to 4.205-inch, and stroke (a Lunati forging) starts at 4.250 inches. ERL even developed it's own big-bore MLS gaskets with Cometic, a leader in the field. Add ERL's intake port spacers to your heads and over 1,000 hp is possible. One of these will set you back about $10K.

We like to shift our own gears and we like overdrive for the highway, so Keisler's Perfect Fit overdrive transmission kit is on our to-do list. Keisler takes a brand new Tremec 5-speed (TKO 500 or 600) and combines it with all the parts you need to swap it into your early GM, Ford, or Mopar musclecar. Typical applications exist for '64-'73 Mustang, first- and second-gen Camaro, '70-'74 Mopar E-body, '62-'76 Mopar A-body, '62-'74 Mopar B-body, C3 and C4 Corvette, '64-'72 GM A-body and others. Recent technology breakthroughs in Keisler Perfect Fit kits include hydraulic clutch actuators, proprietary aluminum bellhousings (you'll want to check out Keisler's redesigned 621 GM can), crossmembers, and shifters. A typical kit price for an automatic-to-stick conversion is around $4,000 and includes every nut and bolt you need to make it complete.

First-gen Camaro/Firebird owners are familiar with most companies peddling bolt-on front suspension parts, but until now, Hotchkis hasn't been one of them. Strange, since proprietor Jon Hotchkis is such a well-traveled Camaro wheelman. The Hotchkis Total Vehicle System (TVS) now encompasses '67 - '69 Camaros and Firebirds with a selection of upper and lower control arms, sway bar, front springs, tie-rod sleeves, subframe connectors, and its previously existing line of rear suspension parts. Both big- and small-block cars are covered; parts can be purchased a la carte, or as TVS kits. We added up the cost for the whole front-end enchilada, and came up with around $2,350, but Hotchkis is currently offering a $150 rebate through its Web site, so don't wait another minute.

What's meaty enough to stop a Ford F-350 truck with 26-inch dubs, but trim enough to fit in most g-Machines? Try SSBC's new line of V8 8-piston brake calipers. We're still a little hazy on exactly which kits the V8 caliper will be available with, but we're told there will be a bunch for classic musclecars. Eight pistons deliver the clamping force over a broader area, so pad wear is more even, braking is more consistent, and heat is dissipated more quickly. Front axle kits featuring the V8 caliper cost around $2,500 and include everything--from rotors and calipers, to brackets, hoses, and hardware.

For too many years, Mopars have been on the bottom of the list when it comes to developing and selling high-performance handling products. Now Maval Manufacturing is doing something about it with its rack-and-pinion Unisteer conversion kit. Thanks to Maval, glacial handling, poor steering response, and excess weight can now be a thing of the past. Maval uses a 17:1 hydraulic rack and packages it with all the necessary brackets, steering pump, hardware, and hoses. The kit costs around $1,000. The manufacturer claims the kit is a simple bolt-on and requires no major modification.

9/16

Lakewood 2005 Mustang Watts Linkagego.mrgasket.com216-688-8300

The 2005-06 Mustang GT is an awesome car for the money, but there is lots of room for improvement, and the guys at Lakewood are on the case. Understanding the limitations of the factory Panhard bar, Lakewood has designed this bolt-in Watt's linkage. Simply put, a Watt's linkage effectively locates the rear axle laterally without causing lateral movement like the factory Panhard bar, which rotates around an arc as the rear end traverses vertically. The benefit: left turns and right turns act the same and your axle doesn't move sideways when you lower your car with lowering springs or air springs. The cost on this driveway bolt-on is just $395.

10/16

ATS LS1/LS2 Oil Pan Swap Kitwww.t56kit.com702-245-6305

American Touring Specialties is one of those young, fast-moving aftermarket companies that is riding the wave of swapping LS1 and LS2 engines into everything from street rods to restomods. Its product line is 100-percent dedicated to putting the LSx motor into first-gen Camaros and Firebirds, and its latest piece is this slick road race oil pan kit. It's got internal baffles, custom oil pick-up, gasket, stud hardware, fittings for -10 AN oil cooler lines, and lots of clearance for steering linkage and frame. This puppy costs $499, but that's a whole lot cheaper (not to mention better for the oiling system) than slicing and dicing the stock LS1 pan to fit.

11/16

Racepak GPS Data Acquisitionwww.g2xtreme.com949-709-5555

We don't know how to describe the G2X Racepak other than to say, we gotta get one of these, fast. Install the G2X Racepak in your interior, place the multi-display monitor in your IP binnacle, and find a good place for the GPS antenna. Now make some laps. The G2X records g's (lateral, acceleration, and deceleration), speed, lap times, and splits. It also draws an accurate map of the track you're on from recorded GPS location data. You don't need to set up tripods, infrared sensors or generally make a nuisance of yourself with corner workers or track marshals--just install the gear in your car and let the U.S. military do the hard work for you. The in-car monitor shows lap times in large LEDs, too. The G2X costs $899. One last thing: Racepak Data Systems is owned my MSD, so you know it's good.

12/16

COMP Cams Camshaft and Programmer For New Hemiwww.compcams.com
800-999-0853

Got a new 5.7- or 6.1-liter Hemi in your Magnum, Charger, or 300C, but can't get past the factory computer to make real horsepower? COMP has the solution with its line of advanced XFI camshafts for Mopar's newest bullet. After installing one of three new Hemi XFI camshafts, just download the engine software from the handheld "Fast Flash" programmer included with the cam kit. COMP says gains up to 61 hp have been recorded with just the camshaft/programming swap. And the best part? No crazy drivability problems or "check engine" codes to deal with.

13/16

Magnacharger Gen-1 Chevy Blower Kitwww.magnacharger.com866-538-6949

Whatever happened to regular roots blowers for musclecars? Seems like only late-model computer cars warrant attention from blower manufacturers these days. And what's with the prices of these kits? Magnuson Products knows your pain, and has just released its Eaton 112 blower in kit form for the Gen-1 small-block Chevy. Street price for the kit is an affordable $1,650, which comes with the blower, manifold, lid assembly, idler, belt tensioner, belt, crank pulley, and gaskets. The M112 has an internal bypass valve for cool running and less wear, and the power increase ranges from 63 percent to 125 percent, depending on blower pulley ratio and engine specs.

14/16

Total Control Products Early Mustang Suspensionwww.totalcontrolproducts.com800-722-2269

Early Mustang and Cougar fans take note: chassis expert extraordinaire Chris Alston now has a complete line of hardcore suspension parts for the street and racetrack. Take for instance the front coil-over system (upper and lower control arms, adjustable coil-over), which is a vast improvement over stock, and costs around $2,200 (provide your own spindle, or buy one from Alston). If that's not your cup of tea, check out the shock tower brace system for $395 (includes export brace, tower truss braces and Monte Carlo brace). Steering rack and pinion kits, Vari-shock double-adjustable shocks, power steering pump kits, subframe connectors, motor mounts, Fab9 rearend housings, you name it--Total Control is the place to shop for Mustangs. Plus, it's all top quality stuff that looks good enough for a show car.